Gold fever has returned to the Yukon. The miners of the late 19th-century gold rush were drawn by tales of “easy pickings,” but they soon learned that only the best equipment survived the rigors of the Yukon’s brutal environment. More than a century later, that knowledge still holds true. In 2013, the U.S. Geological Survey reported that 231,000 kilograms of gold were mined in the U.S., with nearly 15 percent of the supply from Alaska. At $1,400 per troy ounce, large and small mining companies have returned to the Great White North. Effective and efficient water management leads to big success—and big profits—for gold mining operations. Large or small, the most successful operations rely on comprehensive plans to address ground and surface water predictions, public supply and external factors such as evaporation, precipitation and melting snow. Todd Hoffman, owner of 316 Mining and founder of the Discovery Channel series Gold Rush, said, “The right pump is probably the single most important piece of equipment for gold sluicing. You cannot find gold without water.”
Durable dewatering pumps star in a popular reality show.
06/18/2014
2014 Gold Rush crew with a package used for process water in Guyana
A diesel package on the jobsite in the Yukon
The pump manufacturer’s team had the opportunity to hear the miners’ challenges firsthand. The team members recognized that the miners faced insurmountable odds and wanted to help. They quickly embraced solving the unique pump problems and requirements. A difficult lift situation was the first priority: The only access to the gold plunged 90 feet at the excavation site. Additionally, the pump would have to operate in low temperatures and handle water laden with rock and dirt. It also had to support multiple applications throughout the mining process, including processing pay dirt with a consistent water stream that was different from the site dewatering applications.
A diesel package used in Season 2 in Alaska
The pumping package selected for 316 Mining was a 6-by-6-inch, heavy-duty, solids-handling pump that moves up to 3,400 gallons of water per minute—nearly three times that of the Hoffmans’ existing pump system. With a maximum head of 200 feet, the pump manages the losses imposed by long suction and delivery lines. The pump’s run-dry feature allows it to dry-prime and re-prime continuously, without supervision or fear of equipment damage. Maintenance costs are minimized because it can operate unattended. The package also included a four-cylinder, 64-horsepower diesel engine and a weather-resistant control panel.
Handling solids up to 3 inches, the pump easily passes large rocks and fines. The case is constructed of ductile iron rather than gray iron, increasing its resistance to impact damage from large rocks. The impeller is cast in CA6NM stainless steel, which provides abrasion and cavitation resistance. The pump shaft is constructed in 17-4PH stainless steel and is supported on paired, back-to-back angular contact bearings at the drive end and a single row, deep groove ball bearing at the pump end. All thrust is carried by the angular contact bearings, while the pump-end bearing carries only radial loads.
Gold Rush has illustrated the value that the selected pump has brought to the 316 Mining project. In one episode, the pump had to be repositioned closer to the gold mine entrance in a series of precarious moves where it dangled by a chain from the bucket of a large track hoe. The project leaders looked confident in their equipment—if not in their improvised moving technique.